Students at Lennox Math, Science and Technology Academy will have a science project launched into space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to launch June 1. The students project, which had to compete for a ride on the rocket, is a small tube which contains soil, water, preserver and a mint plant seed. Nayeli Salgado show the experiment showing the mint seeds.
(Photo by Steve McCrank, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Students at Lennox Math, Science and Technology Academy will have a science project launched into space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to launch June 1. The students project, which had to compete for a ride on the rocket, is a small tube which contains soil, water, preserver and a mint plant seed. Students Katelyn Gaeta, left, and Marina Pimentel, right, take a closer look at their project.
(Photo by Steve McCrank, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

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Students at Lennox Math, Science and Technology Academy will have a science project launched into space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to launch June 1. The students project, which had to compete for a ride on the rocket, is a small tube which contains soil, water, preserver and a mint plant seed. Veronica Orozco jokes with her son Ernesto, who worked on the project.
(Photo by Steve McCrank, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Four Lennox Middle School science students won an honor that some of the world’s best researchers can only dream of realizing.

Their science experiment will be tested in orbit next month, aboard the International Space Station’s National Laboratory. It will arrive on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, in a launch schedule for June 1.

The students’ research prevailed in a schoolwide competition among hundreds of their peers, with one simple poignant idea: Grow a mint plant in microgravity to provide astronauts an herbal remedy.

“We wanted to use mint because it’s something we use a lot in our Hispanic culture,” said Nayeli Salgado, one of the winning team members. “It has many uses — stomach aches, ear aches. You can use it instead of medicine. It takes the pain away.”

Ernesto Bueno, another team member, agreed: “If astronauts get sick up there, they can just make a tea and feel better,” he said.

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, launched in 2010, is a partnership between the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and NanoRacks, LLC, which operates hardware on board the space station’s lab.

‘Authentic research experiment’

“The idea behind the initiative was to immerse a community of students in an authentic research experiment,” said Jeff Goldstein, director of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. “We wanted to do it in a way that wasn’t a simulation. This is real. These students have been invited into America’s space program.”

Winning projects must meet the same strict guidelines of all in-space research projects, said Goldstein.

The Lennox team came up with the experiment during science class with their teacher Celina Morales, who worked with school administrators to bring the unique program to campus.

“There was a little resistance from some teams. What they did was hard,” said Morales. “A lot of kids felt like it was a lot of work. That’s what makes these kids special. They’re really pioneers for the rest of the school.”

Their biggest challenge was working within the constraints of space research, such as having to do the entire experiment within one test tube.

So, they divided the flexible tube into three parts, and used clamps to separate the fertilized, seeded soil from the water.

Hoping to see sprout

In space, astronauts will remove the clamps two weeks prior to returning to Earth. The students hope to see a sprouted mint plant inside the tube when it returns.

“We tested it out first, and grew a plant inside a closed cardboard box,” said Salgado.

Her mother said she only realized how important the project was to her daughter when she picked up the box.

“I shook it and she said: ‘No, mom, stop!,’” said Juana Garcia. “She was making sure I wouldn’t tamper with her research.”

Bueno’s mother said she was shocked to learn what her son was doing at school.

“When he told me they were going to submit their proposal, I said: ‘This is big!,’” said Veronica Orozco. “But I always believe my kids can do whatever they want to do.”

Bueno, who hopes to be an FBI agent one day, said researching was similar to “being a detective.”

Team member Katelyn Gaeta said she gained confidence from the experience.

“Before this, I was struggling with the thought of high school, and stressing about how difficult it would be,” said Gaeta.

‘Anything is possible’

Marina Pimentel said the team experience also boosted her determination.

“I’m an English learner,” said Pimentel, whose family relocated from El Salvador six years ago. “But I learned, if we work together anything is possible.”

The students, who are now ninth-graders, will compare the in-space plant with the one they grew in the classroom when it returns, and will present their work at the ISTE Conference & Expo in San Antonio next month.

Lennox School District Superintendent Kent Taylor said he jumped at the chance to participate, even though the district had to contribute more than $10,000 toward the launch costs.

“In our district, 97 percent of students are in poverty and are Latino,” Taylor said. “Opportunities like this are not given to them often. But, once you provide the opportunity, our kids rise to that level. Their destinies are great and tremendous.”

Sandy Mazza is a freelancer. She previously worked for Southern California News Group as a city reporter covering Carson and Hawthorne and specializing in features about Los Angeles' growing Silicon Beach tech, bioscience, and aerospace sectors.